A Middle Temple Hall lunch is one of the best-kept secrets in London. Middle Temple Hall is a hallowed space and one of the most extraordinary historical venues in the city. It has hosted the who’s who of London’s legal and royal past, from Tudor times to the present. But it’s also hard to get into unless you’re a member of Middle Temple or on a private tour. There is an easy-peasy way to see inside, and all it requires is for you to arrive with an empty stomach and part with a few pounds.
How to book a Middle Temple Hall lunch
As a muggle, you can’t just pop into Middle Temple Hall for a look around. The easiest way to gain access to this magnificent Elizabethan room is to book lunch. Non-members are welcome on weekdays during legal term time, but booking is essential. Contact the Events Department at events@middletemple.org.uk or on 020 7427 4820, and check the Middle Temple Hall lunch page for the latest details.
Lunch is served from 12 noon to 2pm, Tuesday to Friday. The Hall is closed in the summer and throughout January, so check before you plan a trip. You’ll be sitting at one of the long oak tables, surrounded by barristers and mouthfuls of legal banter, most of which you may not understand.
What’s on the menu?
The menu changes daily and is made on site. Small groups usually help themselves from a self-service buffet, while larger groups of 25 or more are served a set menu. A two-course lunch with coffee starts at around £25, and a three-course lunch costs a little more. There is a bar selling soft drinks, champagne, wine and beer, so you can wash it all down in style. Prices and menus change, so check the website before you book.
Remember to look up whilst you’re tucking into your lunch. The lamb is the symbol of the Middle Temple.
What to wear
Lunch is informal, but the Hall is the dining room of a professional body, so business attire or smart casual is expected. Jeans and trainers are fine if they are clean and smart. You will be refused entry in shorts, T-shirts or ripped or dirty clothing, and there are no refunds if you’re turned away.
Inside Middle Temple Hall
Middle Temple Hall is the jewel in the Middle Temple crown. The Elizabethan hall was built in the 1560s and 1570s and has one of the most glorious double hammerbeam roofs in the country.
An impressive portrait of Charles I takes centre stage, shouldered by other royal portraits including Charles II, James II, Queen Anne and George I. Look out for the portrait of Elizabeth I, too.
The oak table on the dais is said to have been fashioned from timbers of Sir Francis Drake’s Golden Hinde, and Elizabeth I is thought to have dined at it.
Famous diners
Some of the great and godly have come and gone and dined in the Hall over the centuries.
The first recorded performance of Twelfth Night took place in the Hall in 1602, and it’s thought that Shakespeare himself may have been in attendance. Yes, you read that right.
Notable members and diners over the centuries are said to include Sir Walter Raleigh, the diarist John Evelyn, Henry Fielding, William Makepeace Thackeray, Charles Dickens, King Edward VII, the Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales.
Tours of Middle Temple Hall
Tours of Middle Temple Hall are for groups and are combined with lunch. At the time of writing they run on Friday mornings, last about an hour and cost around £17 per person, with a minimum group of 10. You’ll see Middle Temple Hall and the Bench Apartments (the Parliament Chamber, the Queen’s Room and the Prince’s Room). Tours must be booked at least a week ahead through the Events Department. Contact events@middletemple.org.uk and see the Middle Temple tours page for the latest details.
What is Middle Temple?
Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court in London, along with Inner Temple, Gray’s Inn and Lincoln’s Inn. Simply put, the Inns of Court are the nerve centres of the legal profession, and barristers must belong to one of them in order to be called to the bar. Each Inn includes a network of buildings, libraries, gardens, a church or chapel and a great hall.
Middle Temple is one of London’s secret gems, largely hidden from view. The area is wedged between Fleet Street to the north and the Embankment to the south, and it’s reached through various entry points which look a little scary and inaccessible. Don’t be put off. You are allowed to walk around to your heart’s content, although the gates close at certain times and you probably won’t get in at weekends. Check the gate times on the Middle Temple website before you go.
You can enter from Fleet Street near Prince Henry’s Room at 17 Fleet Street. The Jacobean building survived the Great Fire of 1666 and is Grade I listed. To the south, Middle Temple is accessed from the Embankment through this glorious arch. Walk along gas-lit cobbled streets and through idyllic garden spaces, and start some serious time travelling.
Explore the Temple after your Middle Temple Hall lunch
The Temple Church is a royal peculiar and was used by the Knights Templar as their headquarters. It was badly damaged during the Blitz, so what you see today is largely rebuilt. You can visit for a small admission fee or enjoy one of the free lunchtime organ recitals. Check the website for opening times.
Fountain Court makes an appearance in Dickens’ Martin Chuzzlewit: “Merrily the fountain leaped and danced, and merrily the smiling dimples twinkled and expanded more and more, until they broke into a laugh against the basin’s rim, and vanished.”
Temple Lane and the surrounding courts are a joy to wander, with gas lamps and gardens round every corner.
Frost Fairs were the original pop-up, when locals set up market stalls on the frozen Thames, and the stretch of river outside Middle Temple was one of the fair’s popular locations. Once upon a time the river connected to Middle Temple via the Temple Stairs, which make an appearance in Dickens’ Great Expectations. They were swept away when the Embankment was built.
Middle Temple Hall lunch: your questions answered
Can the public have lunch at Middle Temple Hall? Yes. Non-members are welcome on weekdays in legal term time, but you must book in advance through the Events Department.
When is Middle Temple Hall lunch served? From 12 noon to 2pm, Tuesday to Friday. The Hall is closed in the summer and throughout January.
How much does a Middle Temple Hall lunch cost? A two-course lunch with coffee starts at around £25. Check the website for the latest prices and the daily menu.
What should I wear? Business attire or smart casual. Jeans and trainers are fine if clean and smart, but shorts, T-shirts and ripped or dirty clothing are not allowed.
If you enjoy hidden London history, you might also like my guides to Charles Dickens’ London and the Jamaica Wine House, and my guide to alternative museums in London, which includes the Soane Museum just up the road at Lincoln’s Inn Fields.